What is a high consequence area (HCA)?
High consequence areas are defined in the rule as either: High population areas, defined by the Census Bureau as urbanized areas, Other populated areas, defined by the Census Bureau as places that contain a concentrated population, Unusually sensitive areas, or Commercially navigable waterways Unusually sensitive areas are defined in Part 195.6 as drinking water or ecological resource areas that are unusually sensitive to environmental damage from a hazardous liquid pipeline release. PHMSA Pipeline Safety has applied this definition to identify HCAs and has made maps depicting these locations available to operators. Operators are also responsible for independently evaluating information about the area around their pipeline to identify changes that could result in new areas becoming HCAs.
